Images may be processed for various purposes (e.g., enhancing image quality by applying one or more image filters, operations or functions or adding one or more artistic effects). Some images may be monochromatic (e.g., grayscale, single color, or sepia). Some image processing operations may produce an undesirable result when applied to a monochromatic image, while other image processing operations may be suitable for performing on a monochromatic image. Prior to performing an image processing operation on an image it may be helpful to determine whether the image being processed is monochromatic.